Interesting facts about cocoa

Cocoa - The food of the gods

Opened cacao pod with beans and pulp

The

cocoa plant ( Theobroma cacao L.) is divided into three types: "Criollo", "Forastero" and "Trinitario". "Criollo" cocoa refers to the original cocoa varieties, which mainly come from the Peruvian Amazon.

Criollo cocoa is distinguished by its thin-walled, red or yellowish fruits, large and round seeds, white or pale purple in color, with a pleasant, not harsh taste, and is the starting material for the highest quality chocolate.

Single-variety "Criollo" cocoa is only available in limited quantities and most of the chocolate on the market is made from "Forastero" cocoa.

The processing

The ripe fruits are harvested by hand and each have 20 to 50 beans that are fermented together with the pulp. Typically, this process takes 7 to 9 days to achieve the most intense chocolate flavor possible. However, full fermentation reduces the health benefits of cacao. This is why high-quality raw cocoa is made from short-fermented cocoa beans.

After fermentation, the cocoa beans are dried - preferably at low temperatures, of course, and therefore over a longer period of time.

The cocoa beans can now be brought to the actual processing. They are cleaned and, depending on the desired product, the shell is then removed, the cocoa beans are broken into nibs, these are ground into cocoa mass and possibly also processed into cocoa butter and cocoa powder.

Cocoa beans during drying

The science behind the health benefits of cocoa

Cocoa has been studied a lot because of its diverse nutrients and their health effects. Cacao is a very good source of fibre, protein and many minerals including calcium and magnesium as well as so-called flavonoids and theobromine which in turn are responsible for better heart health. This circumstance has also become known through the Kunas (an indigenous ethnic group in Panama). The Kunas have a very low rate of heart disease which is attributed to their very high cocoa consumption. Consuming cocoa also increases “good” HDL cholesterol and reduces blood sugar levels. Several interesting scientific studies are listed below.

Summary

Cocoa pod on tree

• The cocoa fruit grows on cocoa trees that originate in South America. To this day you can find the original and highest quality cocoa varieties called "Criollo".
• Cocoa has been used by humans for around 4000 years. It was known as a delicacy and "food of the gods" among the ancient cultures of the Maya, Aztec and Incas.
• The processing process is essential for the preservation of the nutrients. A gentle process is therefore important in order to preserve the health-promoting effect of the cocoa fruit.
• A number of studies (see below) have shown that consumption of cocoa products leads to a lower risk of heart disease.
• Cocoa has significant amounts of various nutrients. High quality Criollo cocoa powder has high amounts of fiber, protein, protein, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and molybdenum and is also a source of potassium, zinc and iron.

References and further reading

Kwok C et al. (2015). Habitual chocolate consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease among healthy men and women. Heart 101 , 1279−87. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26076934

Larsson S et al. (2016). Chocolate consumption and risk of myocardial infarction: a prospective study and meta-analysis. Heart (Epub ahead of print). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26936339

Martínez-López S et al. (2014). Realistic intake of a flavanol-rich soluble cocoa product increases HDL cholesterol without inducing anthropometric changes in healthy and moderately hypercholesterolemic subjects. Food and Function 5 : 364-74.

McCullough M (2006). Hypertension, the Kuna, and the epidemiology of flavanols. Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology 47 :S103-9.

Neufingerl N et al. (2013). Effect of cocoa and theobromine consumption on serum HDL cholesterol concentrations: a randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 97 :1201-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23595874

Petrone A et al. (2014). Chocolate consumption and risk of heart failure in the Physicians' Health Study. European Journal of Heart Failure 16 , 1372-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25311633

Rull G et al. (2015). Effects of high flavanol dark chocolate on cardiovascular function and platelet aggregation. Vascular Pharmacology 71 , 70-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25869509

Sarria B et al. (2014). Regular consumption of a cocoa product improves the cardiometabolic profile in healthy and moderately hypercholesterolaemic adults. British Journal of Nutrition 14 , 122−34. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23823716

Tags: Cocoa , Cacao , Cacao XP , Peruvian Harvest , Theobroma cacao , criollo